1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to number plates marked with competition identification numbers and, more particularly, to an improved number plate mounted on a vehicle including a steering damper that lessens a steering directional force suddenly transmitted to a handlebar via a front wheel and a front fork from a road surface.
2. Description of Background Art
A known vehicle has a steering damper disposed between a side of a vehicle body frame and a side of a front fork supporting a front wheel (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-96735.
FIGS. 1 and 2 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-96735 will be described below.
A front wheel 1 is mounted at a lower end of a front fork 2. The front fork 2 is steerably mounted to a head pipe 6h disposed at a front end of a vehicle body frame 6. The front fork 2 includes a pair of left and right fork pipes 3, 3, a fork bridge 4 connecting the fork pipes 3, 3, and a steering stem 5 mounted on the fork bridge 4.
The steering stem 5 is disposed across a top bridge 4a and a bottom bridge 4b that make up the fork bridge 4. The steering stem 5 is rotatably mounted on the head pipe 6h. 
A tubular damper 10 forming the steering damper has a first end mounted on the head pipe 6h and a second end mounted on the bottom bridge 4b. 
If a number plate is to be fitted at an upper portion of the front fork 2 of the above-referenced vehicle in order to take part in a competition, the number plate must be disposed further forward of the tubular damper 10, since the tubular damper 10 is disposed forward of the head pipe 6h. This results in the number plate being disposed substantially away forward of the head pipe 6h. As a result, the number plate tends to be subjected to cross wind, becoming more susceptible to an effect of the cross wind.
It is possible to modify the shape of the number plate so that the effect of the cross wind may be reduced. The number plate does not, however, function properly, if the modification results in a smaller area allowable for marking the identification number on the number plate. If the number plate is brought near to the head pipe 6h, it then becomes necessary to prevent the number plate from interfering with the tubular damper 10.